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The best USB battery packs
By Mark Smirniotis This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. We brought in almost 50 pounds of batteries and tested them in a specialist lab in Vancouver, British Columbia, to find the best USB battery pack for any situation. If you need a pocketable pack to get through an evening out, we recommend the TravelCard Charger because our previous top pocketable pick, the AmazonBasics Portable Power Bank with Micro USB Cable 2,000 mAh, is inconsistently available. If you need a unit to leave in your bag to keep your device going for a busy day of meetings, pick up the EasyAcc 6000mAh Ultra Slim Power Bank. If you need to charge your phone repeatedly, grab the larger AmazonBasics Portable Power Bank 16,100 mAh, and if you require a pack that can power a bagful of devices for a full day, buy the RAVPower 26800 mAh Xtreme Portable Charger.
Exogear's Exovolt Plus 'stackable' battery pack claims to be the first of its kind
We've seen (and tested) a fair share of interesting power packs during our time, and Exogear's hoping to make a mark of its own in this very juicy department with what the outfit's calling "the world's first" stackable battery pack. The newly minted Exovolt Plus consists of a main 5,200 mAh kit, which can then be paired -- or, in this particular case, stacked -- alongside a "Sub Battery" unit to create the ultimate portable charging station. One thing worth noting, though, is that each extra stack will be sold separately for nearly $50, while the essential Exovolt Plus is set to run at about $90 minus some change. Given its universal capabilities (30-pin, USB and micro-USB), something tells us the Exovolt Plus won't have trouble landing any suitors despite its somewhat hefty price tag. Still, you'll have to wait a little while before you can snag one of these, as it's currently listed as "coming soon," and its creator's yet to reveal when we can expect it to go on sale.
Fisker plans to replace the battery packs on 640 Karma sedans
Fisker Automotive hasn't exactly had the smoothest of launches for its all-electric Karma sedan, and it's now been dealt yet another small setback. As Wired Autopia reports, Fisker now plans to replace the battery packs on nearly all of the Karmas that have rolled off the assembly line -- apparently due to the same issue that caused the car to break down during Consumer Reports' test of the car. That includes some 640 cars in all (up from 239 in an earlier recall), although Fisker notes that it has only seen the issue on a "handful" of vehicles. If you're the owner of one of those, you can expect to receive a notice in the next few days, along with a software update (unrelated to the recall) that promises improvements on everything form the powertrain to infotainment system.
Dear Aunt TUAW: What's my best bet for international data?
Dear Aunt TUAW, I will be in China for 10 days on vacation later this year, and I'd like to share photos, updates, etc. with friends at home. What's the best way to do that? I have an iPhone 4 and a Wi-Fi only iPad. As far as I can tell, my options are to either buy into AT&T's international data plans (although I don't mind the price, the minimal amount of data you get probably won't be enough) OR unlock my phone and get a China-specific SIM (complicated, and I'm unsure how to get the SIM and make sure it works). Perhaps I might be able to get a MyFi-like hotspot device that would work in China, but I'm not even sure such a device exists. So what's the best option for data when traveling to China? Hugs, Your nephew Jason M
